Tesla is expanding its current Supercharger station at Harris Ranch in California, and the expansion is big enough that it is likely going to make it the world’s largest Supercharger station.
The Harris Ranch Supercharger is one of Tesla’s oldest and most important Supercharger stations.
It is strategically located between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, which are two of Tesla’s biggest markets in the world, and it has some great amenities for being located in a sparsely populated area.
It was even the site of Tesla’s short-lived battery swap station project.
Now it is going to become the world’s largest Tesla Supercharger station.
Currently, the Harris Ranch Supercharger has only 18 charging stalls, but we now learn that Tesla plans to add more than 82 Supercharging stalls at the location.
Tesla’s propriety partner at the location, Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant, announced on Facebook:
We are excited to announce that Tesla has applied for the construction of the world’s largest Supercharger, which could consist of more than 100 stalls, and will be located right here at Harris Ranch in Coalinga, California.
Tesla’s current largest Supercharger station is a 72-stall station in Shanghai, but you could argue that Tesla’s recent 56-charging stall station in Firebaugh, California, which is not too far from Harris Ranch, is bigger since it is equipped with 250kW V3 Superchargers instead of the 120kW Superchargers in Shanghai.
Now the new updated Harris Ranch Supercharger is expected to dwarf both of those stations with the new Superchargers being deployed with the 250kW V3 technology.
The higher the charging output, the faster the electric vehicle can potentially charge depending on capacity. By charging faster, you reduce the average charging session at the station and increase the capacity.
According to the building application referenced by Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant, Tesla also plans to deploy energy storage at the new updated Supercharger station. That could potentially save high demand charges during peaks and super peaks that plague California during the summer months.
The automaker has been talking about increasing the use of its own stationary energy storage products at its Supercharger stations in order to help manage the load on the grid and reduce costs.
Electrek’s Take
Between Kettleman City, Firebaugh, and now Harris Ranch, it’s clear that Tesla is focusing on the route between the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
The five-hour drive is long and boring, but it is fairly cheap in a Tesla and only requires one or rarely two Supercharging stops depending on your vehicle and how you are driving. Compared to other EV makers, the drive is much easier in a Tesla, Electrify America was the first DC fast charging station to open up between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the I5 (Grapevine) and that happened just a few years ago.
Also, if Tesla delivers on its full self-driving promise, it should become really popular for Tesla owners since it could become more practical than flying between the two locations.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
